Toby and Allan in Argentina: Exploring Palermo Soho

Saturday March 16 was a beautiful day. 20C and sunny all day. We're getting used to the rhythm, variety and the buzz of BA. Established by the Spanish in 1536, the city itself is about 3 million people but when the suburbs are included, we're talking about 13 million people, making it one of the 10 largest urban centres in the world. The mix of architectural styles and the emphasis on art and culture makes it a truly unique place to visit. The new Pope continues to dominate the headlines here with controversy continuing regarding his role during the "dirty war". However, a big gathering is planned for 5:30 A.M. at the Plaza de Mayo on Tuesday, when he gives his first mass from Rome. A bit too early for us to check out.

We decided to spend Saturday afternoon exploring our neighbourhood of Palermo Soho known for its small shops and restaurants. We first checked out the weekly craft fair that operates in one of the squares in the 'hood. Lots of local crafts.

Setting up the stalls

Yerba Mate gourds

It reminded us a bit of Soho in New York in that if one spots an interesting jewellery or shoe shop, it is hard to find it again unless one writes down the street and number. We're in mainly window-shopping mode. We had lunch outside to enjoy the beautiful weather.

Bartola: where we had lunch

Enjoying an apple, ginger juice and the great weather

There is lots of colourful street graffiti and we passed one gallery devoted to street art.

Street art

Great store design

Another great small artisan shop

Hollywood in Cambodia- a gallery devoted to street art but not open until late afternoon

Cool shoes I did try on- but not a great fit

Another interesting facade

The Wave

There are also an amazing number of excellent bookstores in BA with lots of political books, art books and fiction. No Chapters/Indigo here.

A large bookstore in Palermo Soho with a cafe inside (note the 2013 Che calendar)

At about 4:00 p.m. we decided to walk back to the market we went yesterday in Recoleta to pick up provisions for a few dinners. While the market was open, we noted that stores in that area closed early Saturday afternoon. We stopped for a coffee at Caffe del Doge--- a favourite coffee place from last year's trip to Venice. What a great surprise!

Alano at Caffe del Doge with his gorgeous latte

We decided to have our second dinner out and went to a nearby restaurant- Don Julio. Because it was still warm and we had our leather jackets on, we were able to get a table quicker outside. While we were waiting, we were given a glass of cava. The sirloin was tasty and the frites excellent. It was lots of fun watching the crowd grow as it got later. We took some pictures of the inside of the restaurant. It is full of wine bottles with customers' messages written on the outside.